


Love Means Nothing to Me, ‘Cause I Don’t Know What it is

by screaminghere



Category: Venom (Movie 2018)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-12
Updated: 2018-10-12
Packaged: 2019-07-29 23:05:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,271
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16274222
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/screaminghere/pseuds/screaminghere
Summary: Injured.“What?”You are injured.“No I’m not, what would I be injured by?”Not sure. You’re in pain.





	Love Means Nothing to Me, ‘Cause I Don’t Know What it is

**Author's Note:**

> song: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5WJwbLJSKs4

“Eggs.”

**Check.**

“Bread.”

**Check.**

“Milk.”

**… Not check.**

Eddie slaps his forehead; they were right there in the dairy aisle and now he’s going to have to walk all the way back there and then walk back to the check-out line, the two places conveniently being on complete opposite sides of the store.

**Cardio exercise.**

“We don’t need to do cardio, our metabolism is, like, superhuman. You ate an entire package of bacon this morning.”

**Yes, we did. We should buy some more of that while we’re here.**

“You might like bacon, but it’s bad for me.”

Venom shifts, curling in Eddie’s chest as if pouting. **We wouldn’t let-**

“I know, I know, you wouldn’t let it hurt me, but it still doesn’t feel the best only eating shitty meat. I need fruit, vegetables.”

**Gross.**

“Yeah, whatev-“ Eddie cuts off as he collides with another person, making them drop their basket and nearly fall over. “Oh my God, I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay, no worries.” Eddie’s heard that voice.

**What a coincidence.**

“Oh, hi, Anne.”

“Hi, Eddie.” Eddie’s heard that voice so many times.

**She looks cute.** Eddie ignores Venom, but he’s right; she does look cute, and well-rested, and healthy. She looks like she’s happy.

“Funny seeing you here.” Eddie tries for a laugh since he apparently thinks that it’s so funny but it only manages to make the situation more awkward as Anne raises an eyebrow.

“This is the grocery store. I come here all the time.”

Eddie winces, rubbing the back of his neck. “Ah, yeah, of course.” He shuffles on his feet and listens to his heart hammer. Normally this would be where Venom pops in to make fun of him, maybe tell him how much of a dumbass he is, but he doesn’t. He’s quiet. “So, uh, how have you been?”

“I’m doing good.” She’s doing good, that’s… good, that’s so good. “I’m doing really good. And you?”

“Yeah, I’m- uh, doing great.” Eddie smiles and is very conscious of how doing so highlights the heavy bags under his eyes. It’s not his fault that his sleeping schedule is shit, there’s no good way to combat nightmares.

“Good.”

“Yeah, good.”

Anne smiles, but it’s not friendly, not even bright like she always is, just pitying. She puts a hand on his shoulder, but only for a small moment. “Well, nice seeing you, Eddie.”

Eddie looks at the floor, watches an ant crawl by. “You too.”

Anne picks up her basket and walks away. Eddie watches her hair swish back and forth in time with her steps, which seem to echo even in this crowded store. Venom is quiet, too quiet, but Eddie can feel concern ruminating from his throat, which is probably because it’s closing up because it always does when he cries and he can already feel tears threatening to spill from his eyes. Just like that, his entire day is changed.

Eddie would kill for a pack of beer right now but Venom hates it when he drinks, meaning that Venom will give him the silent treatment for hours on end, and Eddie didn’t think he can deal with that. Especially not right now.

**Staying right here. As long as you don’t ingest any of that poison.**

Eddie takes a deep breath, thinks that Venom’s worry about his staggering alcoholism could almost be endearing if it weren’t for the desperate want to get wasted that feels like it’s buried in his very bones, then walks into the cereal aisle and picks out something extremely sugary that he wouldn’t normally get, but now seems like a good enough time.

**You’re getting unhealthy food.**

“Yeah. I don’t want anything healthy right now.”

**Can we get more bacon, then?**

“Sure, buddy.”

Venom sends a pleased vibration through Eddie’s chest, something akin to purring, and it soothes his nerves, makes memories a little easier to endure, makes Anne’s blonde hair and intelligent eyes affect him a little less. (Just a little less.)

Eddie grabs more bacon, checks out, and as soon as he gets the groceries into his car he realizes that even after all of that, he still forgot the milk. He can feel Venom laughing, but it’s not like Venom’s laughing at him, just at the entire situation. This entire trip was a disaster. Then again, Eddie’s entire life has been a disaster, why would today be any different? Venom goes silent at that train of thought.

Eddie starts up his car just as it starts to rain. He turns the windshield wipers on, but only the one on the left moves, the right one must be broken. It’s such a small thing, but the day seems to be piling every small thing on top of each other. This morning his creamer was expired, then he spilled syrup on his favorite shirt, then his remote ran out of battery, then he saw Anne, forgot to get milk, and now he’s going to have to bring his car in for repairs. Eddie leans his head against the steering wheel and breathes, just focuses on the feeling of his lungs inhaling and exhaling, on the twitch in his fingers that he’s pretty sure he only developed after he ruined his whole life.

Grief follows Eddie like it’s his shadow, and shame follows close after, hanging onto his footsteps. It’s been such a long time, but Eddie wonders what could’ve been, what could’ve happened if he had just kept his big mouth shut, kept his nose out of everything that he didn’t need to have his nose in. He could still be holding her; he could be married, he might even have a child on the way, or maybe even a child already born. Better than that, though, he might still be able to wake up next to Anne every morning, be able to watch her hair fall across her face and the early golden sunlight across her skin.

**Injured.**

“What?”

**You are injured.**

“No I’m not, what would I be injured by?”

**Not sure. You’re in pain.**

“I feel fine.”

**You’re injured.** Venom repeats himself, which isn’t unusual, but he almost sounds worried. Eddie feels him move around in his chest, stopping to hover right over his heart, gently pressing on it, searching for abnormalities. **There is pain right here.**

“Oh.” Eddie tries to pull himself back to the present. “That’s not… an injury, I’m just getting emotional.”

**Emotional? Emotions can not harm you physically.**

“No, they can, sometimes.”

**How can I help?**

“I don’t think you can, pal.” Venom didn’t say “we”, he referred to himself singularly, like he recognizes that this pain is Eddie’s alone, not theirs.

**I want to share the pain with you.**

Venom’s presence strengthens, wrapping around Eddie’s heart, protecting it like a shield, keeping him safe. It doesn’t help, not really, not with the storm in his head that hasn’t stopped thundering for at least a year, but it feels nice. Eddie wonders if Venom really cares, wonders if this is just self preservation since Eddie is his host. With that thought Venom writhes in displeasure and hurries to reassure Eddie that this isn’t the case, nearly overwhelming Eddie with a wave of endearment. The strange purring starts up again; he must know that it’s calming to Eddie.

“Thanks.” There’s only humming in response.

Eddie puts the car in reverse and backs out. He sees Anne as she unloads her groceries into the trunk of her car, Dan by her side, both of them laughing at something, together. They’re together, and Eddie is alone.

But he isn’t.

“I’m not alone.”

**We’re not alone.**


End file.
